NBC’s Jay Leno promos: Not as expensive as you’d think

NBC has been using the Beatles’ “Get Back” to promote the return of Jay Leno to the “Tonight Show.” (Angering more than a few Conan fans — who note that the use of the line “get back to where you once belonged” is a bit tacky, given what transpired in the recent Late Night Crisis.)

That’s gotta be expensive, right? Turns out, not. According tho network insiders, it’s not actually the Beatles’ recording of “Get Back,” but rather a cover version that really, really mimics the Beatles’ version.

Licensing “Get Back” is still a bit more than your average song (it is, after all, still a song written by Lennon/McCartney — although Paul McCartney is generally credited with actually writing most of it). But it’s nowhere near what it would have cost to actually license the Beatles’ recording of it. Plus, unlike series, promos are fleeting, so the terms are much shorter.

According to insiders, three more new Leno promos will be premiering shortly.